


You made a slow disaster out of me

by MissCatherineEarnshaw



Category: The Social Network (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fix-It, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-25
Updated: 2015-09-25
Packaged: 2018-04-23 07:41:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4868747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissCatherineEarnshaw/pseuds/MissCatherineEarnshaw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>When Mark's words are large enough to be understood, he is twelve, and probably not as excited as he should be. Still, they take him aback. Unlike most people his age, he has never pondered on what his mark could be, but he knows that if he had, his bet would not have been on a delicately scripted <strong>You better lawyer up asshole.</strong></em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	You made a slow disaster out of me

**Author's Note:**

> So I was lying in bed last week end and I had this epiphany that I had never read such as thing as a Soulmates!AU in this fandom. And so I wrote this one.  
> Title comes from the song You were a kindness by the National. Mostly because I was listening it repeatedly as I was writing this.

* * *

 

The marks are on your skin from the moment you are born. Obviously, they're unreadable at first, only smudges of ink on tiny baby wrists. They grow as you do, and people are usually ten or eleven when they're finally able to decipher the characters that are meant to lead them to their soulmates. The words can be anything – they're usually full sentences, but they can be mere name or pronouns. The only rule is that your soulmate is to tell them to you at one point during his existence.

As you can guess, probably not the most efficient system.

 

 

 

When Mark's words are large enough to be understood, he is twelve, and probably not as excited as he should be. Still, they take him aback. Unlike most people his age, he has never pondered on what his mark could be, but, he knows that if he had, his bet would not have been on a delicately scripted _You better lawyer up asshole_.

There are all of theories underlying the words choice – the first-words-spoken hypotheses was dismissed pretty easily, but there are others, the most popular being that the words are the ones who comes out of your mouth when you fall in love.

But Mark's words don't sound like what people in love should tell to each other, and rather like the kind of thing one might say before bringing nasty divorce proceedings. He knows that one day, he is probably going to end up quoted as an example in one of these countless article explaining that matching marks don't necessarily result in _happy ever afte_ r.

It probably says a lot about him that he doesn't really care.

 

People hide their wrists from each other, sometimes with make up, but usually with cuffs. It's both a polite thing to do– soulmates mark are supposed to be the most intimate thing about one person, and exhibiting it to others is plain rude – and a way not to spoil the game, to avoid partners from peeking at the other's wrist and think _so this is what I am supposed to say_. Traditionally, the marks are only revealed after the respective words have been spoken aloud – obviously, it's easier when they're all part of the same conversation . It is the climax people are supposed to be expecting of a relationship.

 

At some point during his teenage years though, Mark doesn't hide his wrist all the time– either because he forgets his cuff or because it's one of these days he decides the whole system is rubbish and he doesn't want to be a part of it. Eventually, the number of glares he receives, not only from his classmates but also from his professors and from his own family puts an end to his little stunt.

When he is fifteen, his mothers offers him a white cuff with his very first code embroidered.

He doesn't remove that one.

 

 

 

When he first meets Eduardo, back in freshman year, he has not thought of soulmates or stared at his wrists for months now. And there is no reason for this encounter to change that, even as they draw closer and closer to each other as months pass by. Sure, he and Eduardo spend almost of their time together now, but they are just friends. He might be a little too aware of Wardo's good looks or of the casual touches he gets from him, but that's nothing.

Mark has managed to convince himself of that up until the moment he eavesdrop on Dustin and Chris talking about them.

“Do you think they are ?”

“To be honest, I'd be disappointed if they weren't. I'm usually not one to care about this, but these two ? It's like love is radiating from their eyes or something.”

“You're such a liar.” Chris grins. “I bet you are a fucking sap when it comes to soulmates.”

“How dare you Christopher.” Dustin exclaims, flailing his arms. “I'm perfectly chill about soulmates.” He pauses one moment before adding in a more serious tone. “That being said, you have to promise solemnly you will tell me the words encapsulating you once you've found them on your chosen one .”

“ Why ?”

There is a quiet tension suddenly, and Mark hopes he is reading this wrong, because he is not equipped at all to deal with this kind of shit between his two roommates.

“Because I want to know if they mention Shark Week at all.”

Christ laughs and swats him, “Fuck you, I bet yours are along the line of I love dinosaurs.”

It breaks the weird tension immediately, so at least there is that, except Mark can't help but think of this discussion later on, when he is alone with Eduardo. For the first time, he truly pays attention to Wardo's cuff, a smart thing in black leather. For the first time too, he begins to wonder what kind of words would appear on Wardo's skin if Mark was his soulmate.

 

Even if he doesn't want to admit it to himself, it's one of the reasons he begins to date Erica – to keep this kind of thoughts at bay. And it works fine for a moment, as their relationship is still in the early, easy-going stage.

During his break up with her though, back at the bar, there is still one small part of his brain which can't help but ponder if _she_ is actually _the one_ , if this fight is merely a repetition of many to come, up until the last fateful disagreement. But then her lips form the words _asshole_ , and his gut feeling is immediate – it doesn't sound right. She was not meant to be _his_ , or whatever. It doesn't make the break up easier.

 

He adds the Facebook feature _Soulmate with..._ only two weeks after the relationship status one. Even if he is experiencing uncertainty at the moment, he still manages to keep the two things quite distinct in his head, and he knows he is not the only one at Harvard with that kind of conception. The sweet ideals and the excitement at trying to seek out your destiny mate usually fade for a bit when you reach your twenty and think at having fun for a while, rather than finding out your forever life partner. It starts again in your thirties or so, when people begin to consider settling down and explains in all seriousness that they don't want to _waste_ a portion of their life with the wrong one, but fortunately Mark doesn't know that yet.

Many years after, when Facebook is happily rolling with millions of user across the planet, Mark suggests in passing that it might be a good idea to allow people to disclose their mark – via photo or text - to whom they choose to on the site but his employees fidget uneasily at that. Something about not wanting to give to a company such intimate an information. Mark snorts quietly because these days, people don't exactly need to be prayed to give up very private data about their lives, but whatever.

Point is, he isn't thinking _at all_ about soulmates the night TheFacebook goes live. Except that when he is done praying, Wardo is still on his bed, smiling and looking at him as if he is the most awesome human being who ever lived, and Mark can't take that anymore. Which is why he ends up doing something he is positive he is going to regret later. He sits on the bed, right next to Eduardo, so close that their thighs are brushing.

“You talked about going out ?”

“Yeah, to get a drink or something. But it's as you feel, really, we can do something else if...”

The words die in Eduardo's mouth as Mark leans closer, allowing their noses to brush. Mark has no idea what he is doing. He only knows he has never wanted anything more than he wants Wardo at the moment, his flushed face and wide eyes.

Soon enough, the gap between the two of them is closed. It's not frantic at all, each kiss measured and slow as if they're both trying to make the most of the moment. Still, neither of us can deny the tension between them, the feeling of need surging in their bodies, and soon enough, Eduardo is nipping at Mark's neck, and Mark has got his hands on the hem of Eduardo's trousers. They give each other new marks, colored and disparate, the kind that will fade in the days to come, but marks anyway.

They lie together for a while afterward. Eduardo falls asleep pretty quickly though, which means Mark is left alone to his thoughts and to the sight of Wardo's wrist, still safely hidden by his cuff. The temptation has never been strongest than it is now, now that there is something to be damaged.

Even if he knows it's an awful, possibly relationship breaking thing to do, he can't help but take a peek at the words, tugging lightly at the cuff to do so. The light is very dim, but it's still fairly easy to make out the three words decorating Wardo's wrist. _I need you._

It's deceivingly too mundane, and Wardo must have been hearing these words from plenty of people - friends, high school sweethearts and maybe college flings too. In that moment though, Mark doesn't doubt for a second that they’re _his_ , the ones he told him as he stepped into the suite that Facemash night. He remembers the way his best friend's eyes had softened when he had heard them, and he knows Wardo knows too. He hates the fact he can't help but grin stupidly when he realizes that.

And then he thinks of his own words, and panics seizes him. Because the truth is, it was easy not to worry about his mark before, when the possibility of a soulmate was a remote and far fetched thing. But Wardo is anything but remote now, his head scurried on Mark's side, and his gentle snoring filling the room. More importantly, since TheFacebook has become a real thing, he has had the uneasy feeling that his words doesn't refer to a divorce at all, but to another kind of legal procedure. After all, he is aware of the way he has ignored the Winklevi calls in the past weeks – he thinks they're probably going to let that go, but he is not stupid, and he knows a lawsuit is a distinct possibility, even in a very distant future. Who is to say that the man he has chosen to be his CEO is not going to pull something like that at some point ?

As his fingers trace idly the words on Wardo's wrist, he can't help but wish it won't come to that. It sounds pointless even if his own head.

 

The morning after that, he tells Eduardo what happened was great and all, but not a big deal. He even manages to pronounce the words “ _it should not forbid us from seeing other people_.” He doesn't mean any of the stuff if he is saying – now that he has managed to get Wardo so close to him, he is very reluctant to let him go – but he is only being realistic here. He knows that relationships between people aware of their connection are of the committed kind, the one that demands time and effort, and he can't give that, not right now. TheFacebook has just gone live, and there are probably going to be a tons of improvement to be done in the next weeks, months, in order to keep it working and to make something huge out of it. Surely Wardo would understand.

 

Weeks later, as they're being dragged down into bathroom toilets by two girls they ignored the existence of two days ago, and Mark has to endure the sound of Eduardo coming in the next booth, he reminds himself it's all for the best. Even when his best friend announces him the next week, a bit embarrassed, that it looks like he and Christy are going steady.

 

Mark should have no reasons to get jealous. It's not like Christy is soulmates material for Eduardo anyway. He would know that even if he had not glimpsed at Wardo's wrist. Mainly because the girl is downright hysterical, as he is realizes on his own pretty quickly, and hysterical doesn't belong with Eduardo, or at least not this extent. There are moments he wants to bring up the subject with him, because it's obvious even to Mark that this relationship is a disaster, but it's never easy over the phone or in a random email detailing the latest updates on the Facebook front, especially with the whole continent stretching out between them. God, Mark misses Wardo's presence. His touch, too, even if he refuses to ponder on it.

 

Not that it matters these days, because they have more important issues at hand. Namely, Facebook and Eduardo refusing to acknowledge what's good for Facebook – out of sheer stubbornness or jealousy, Mark will never figure. And then Eduardo closes the account, puts at risk everything they've worked for in the past months, and Mark realizes he doesn't care either way.

 

In the last moments, as everything fall downhill irrevocably, Mark surprises himself picturing the final straw, the minute Eduardo will finally break and say the incriminating words. He imagines flailing his own wrist as he hears the words, so that Eduardo will realize the extent of his mistake, realize that he not only let go the business opportunity of his life but also the one person he was meant to be with it.

He doesn't do it in the end though. Partly because this belongs to no one but him and Eduardo, and certainly not to his employees or to a noisy Sean Parker, but mostly because he knows, as he watches Eduardo's vein beat in his temple, that he has already screwed him more than he had any right to.

 

 

 

It feels a bit anticlimactic, the two of them facing each other across a coffeehouse's table, after so many years.

Sure there has been the lawsuit between the sound of smashed laptop and _You're gonna blame me because you were_ _the business head of the company and you made a bad business deal with your own company ?_ and now but Mark is positive it doesn't mean they're even or anything. It's especially unexpected since Eduardo was the one to send Mark a laconic mail informing him that he was in San Francisco this week and asking if they could meet.Mark is pretty sure he was supposed to be the one reaching out in order to crawl and apologize. He tells Eduardo exactly that, which has him laughing for some reason.

“No, I'm not here to listen to your apologies. They would not be sincere anyway. I'm sure that faced by the same choice, you will do the exact same thing.”

“Maybe in a less expeditious manner.” answers Mark, because that's about as far as he will go confessing he did something wrong.

Eduardo nods tiredly.

“Less expeditious. Right. Anyway, I wanted to show you something."

And just like that, he arranges the menu so that no one but Mark will see what he is doing, removes his cuff and exhibits his wrist. Mark has to fight the urge to reach out and trace the words on Eduardo skin, as he did so many years ago. Instead, he takes off his cuff and displays his own mark. Eduardo scoffs as he reads it, but he doesn't look that surprised.

“I've seen yours before.” Mark admits quietly. _That_ takes Eduardo aback.

“When ?” he asks, his eyebrows risen..

“The night Facebook went live.” because Eduardo will know what he is referring to and it's easier than saying _the night we first slept together_.

“So you knew.”

The words and _yet you still did it_ are left unsaid. Of all people, Eduardo probably should know that this was not a factor taken in consideration.

“So, this is what this is about ? The _I know we had our disagreements but still we're soulmates, so let's forget all this and get married_ ? Cos I know plenty people our age do that.”

Eduardo can't help but smirk at that, but when he answers, his tone is all seriousness.

“No. This is about closure. About both knowing were we stand and moving on.”

“And if don't want closure ?”

Mark realizes that what he is saying is dumb and irrational the second the words leave his mouth. It goes against everything he believes in, against the very reason Eduardo asked him to come here in the first place. He can't help himself though. Then again, Eduardo has always had this gift to bring back the irrational in him. Same Eduardo who is currently pinching his nose frustratedly.

“What ? Mark, we've just been over this. I thought we were on the same page. You're not going to apologize, and to be honest, I wouldn't care if you did anyway. There is nothing left between us anymore. Even if I did forgive you, we're not the clueless Harvard students we used to be.”

“Don't act like we are mere college buddies who used to hang out and get drunk together before falling apart, because it was not like that. It runs deeper, and you know it.”

Eduardo looks at him suspiciously.

“Is this about the marks ? Are you having second thoughts on this whole soulmate thing ?”

“Fuck you Eduardo, I don't give a shit about the marks. I mean, look at them, they spell out we're doomed anyway. It's like boom, fall in love, split up, game over. What kind of crap is that ?” Mark actually pauses after this, because he is not good at talking about feelings, has never been, but he wants to get this right. “What's important is what we used to be to each other. We were driven by the same needs, the same want of ambition, recognition, affection even, and yet we still acted as complete opposites.”

“Like how you were an insensitive jerk and me the damn fool who cared too much ?” Eduardo answers in a dry tone.

“That's what others used to say about us Eduardo. It was a tad more complex, and we knew it.”

“ _I_ _thought I_ _did_ , until the day you screwed me over !”

Eduardo's voice raises at that one, and people next to them begins to turn their head and stare. So much for the hope of a peaceful meeting. Mark manages to keep his voice even.

“Listen, I know there has been this huge, life shattering event in our relationship. I don't want to address it today, neither do you. Maybe we will never be able to. My point is, it has not driven us apart. On the opposite, it has fucked up further up, in a way that we never be fit for anyone else than each other now. I know for a fact you've never allowed yourself to trust someone the way you used to trust me.”

“Whose fault is that.” he mumbles darkly, but he doesn't deny, which Mark counts as a win.

“And since you left, I've never met anybody who meant that much to me” he adds quietly. “ What I'm saying is, think about the years we have spent fighting over this. This is not some parenthesis to be glossed over. _This_ , the whole mess of our relationship is what defines us, and it still will for the years to come.”

“And if I don't want to be defined by the way we make each others' life miserable ?”

It's a mirror of Mark's own question at the beginning of this conversation, and he hates how miserable Eduardo sounds right now. Still, he wants to get his point across.

“Then don't. But you've got to be sure this is the right thing – and by right I mean what would make you the most happy, not what you think is the adult, healthy way to do.”

There is a pause after that, and when Eduardo answers, it's in a resigned voice, his shoulder so slightly slumped.

“How come the craps you're saying always makes sense to me ?”

“Because I've always understood you.”

It's a bit cheesy – scratch that, it's incredibly cheesy – but Mark knows it's also accurate, so he manages to keep his face straight. Eduardo rolls his eyes though.

“Let me get this straight. Basically, you're suggesting everything we discarded at the beginning – forget everything and hold hands again.”

Eduardo's tone is not half as sarcastic as it should be, which means they might be going. somewhere.

“I'm suggesting to try, and see where this leads us.” Mark cuts. “And yes, if it comes to that, holding hands. Although I have to point out that it was not something we used to do.”

He puts his hand on the table at that, bracing himself for the very likely rejection. And maybe it's because there is still some part of Eduardo that has a hard time going against anything Mark is offering. Or maybe Mark was right and they really are fucked up beyond imaginable. Anyway, Eduardo reaches and grabs.

“Let's try” he says, and Mark is pretty sure he isn't imagining the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

**Author's Note:**

> In the end this turned out to be a screw-soulmates-but-let's-be-together-anyway-because-we-belong-together kind of fic. I didn't manage to do it any other way, because I wanted Mark & Wardo to be dismissal of the idea, given what they've been through, and I had not the heart to make them fall apart for good.  
> Please share your thoughts about this, I will be glad to hear them ! This is my first soulmates AU ever and to be honest, laying down its logic and specifics in my own head was kind of a headache.


End file.
